Everyone is busy during the holidays. But, immediately after, especially that week between Christmas and New Year’s, there’s a lull in activity. This is the perfect time to write about Christmas! Christmas songs are the best, because if you write one good one, it can be cut over and over. It’s a challenge to write […]

When I communicate about building bridges, it is usually about songwriting. But, I want to head in a different direction. In the music business, every second, minute and hour in your head can be about building a bridge. For in the music business, it’s all about the relationships you make and maintain. It can be […]

I cannot tell you how many times I have been in the process of speaking about solid song structure information and in the middle of my delivery a hand goes up. Then some well meaning songwriter, usually a newbie, says, “Well, what about Bob Dylan’s song ______, or Pink’s song _______, Dianne Warren’s songs ______? […]

Ok, so you wrote five songs before the holidays. The holidays were crazy with family, friends and lots of eating. Now, it’s the New Year and back to work. You go back and listen to those five songs and they all seem a bit similar. This is an issue that comes up with the most […]

Have you ever been introduced to someone and they began to ask you one question after another, without giving you a moment to breathe? When you ask questions in a song – because the music keeps the mind moving quickly – that’s how the listener’s brain feels. It’s a real art to ask a question(s) […]

Snip, snip, snip. Yeah, doesn’t that feel better? I can hear that 30 second introduction cut down to 15 seconds. It’s a nice smooth, kind introduction. The longer the intro (for play on the radio or for the recording), the weaker the song immediately gets, and the sleepier the listeners get. You want your intro […]

“How can I do THAT!! I don’t want to sing someone else’s song!” But if you want to have a successful career, you need to have the courage to sing other songwriter’s songs. This is the another element in bonding with your audience. (To see the other elements, read Bad Songs Don’t Bond) If you […]

Your level of performance is propelled by the strength of your song. What indie artists do not realize is they often sacrifice the level of a powerful performance they could pull out with someone else’s great song, in order to write their point of view and perform their own okay song. This will dumb down […]

In my article Bad Songs Don’t Bond, Then They Don’t Buy, I explained that in order to be a successful artist you must bond with your audience. There are 3 elements to this bonding – and the first one is this: your audience must feel connected. If the artist truly bonds with the listener, then […]

Haven’t you wondered how is it that some artists can have a fantastic voice, look great, and never really get to the top? Then there are artists that sing pretty good, look okay, and yet have long careers. (Come on, haven’t you thought at one time or another, “hey, I can sing better than them”?) […]